Semi-automatic toilet seat

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to a semi-automatic toilet seat that is the improvement in a general toilet seat consisting of a lid and a seat part, the semi-automatic toilet seat is configured such that the seat part includes: a contact sensor provided on a lower surface of the seat part to detect a user&#39;s sitting state; a motor configured to be operated to close the lid from an opened state; and a controller configured such that when the contact sensor detects that the user&#39;s sitting state is released, the controller operates the motor to close the lid from the opened state and operates the solenoid so that water is supplied to the toilet to flush the toilet. Accordingly, the lid is automatically closed and the toilet is automatically flushed just by a movement that a user rises from the seat part.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to a toilet seat consisting ofa lid and a seat part and, more particularly, to a semi-automatic toiletseat configured such that a lid is automatically closed and a toilet isautomatically flushed.

Description of the Related Art

Generally, a manual toilet seat is configured such that a user mustclose a lid after the use of the toilet and press a flush button tocomplete the entire process of the toilet, which may be inconvenient forthe user. Further, when the user accidentally leaves the toilet withoutlowering the lid or pressing the flush button, a next user may feeldispleasure and a restroom may become unsanitary.

In order to solve the above problems, Korean Patent No. 10-0804307‘Flushing system having automatic toilet cover closing function andflushing method’ (Feb. 11, 2008) (hereinafter, ‘related art’) has beendisclosed. The related art proposes a system in which conveniencefunctions are added to a basic bidet device, so there is a limit inextending and applying the system to a general toilet seat.

Not only that, the related art is configured such that a lid isautomatically closed on the premise of operation of a flush button, soat least the flush button must be manually operated. Further, when theuser presses the flush button in a sitting state, but the flush is notperformed as described in the related art, the user can recognize thesituation as a failure, thus necessity of application or preference ofthe system may be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present disclosure has been made keeping in mind theabove problems occurring in the related art, and the present disclosureis intended to propose the improvement in a general toilet seatconsisting of a lid and a seat part, and to propose a semi-automatictoilet seat that is configured such that a lid is automatically closedand a toilet is automatically flushed just by a movement that a userrises from a seat part.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of thepresent disclosure, there is provided a semi-automatic toilet seatincluding a seat part placed on a toilet, a lid rotatably coupled ontothe seat part, and a solenoid configured to open and cut-off watersupply to the toilet, wherein the seat part includes: a contact sensorthat is provided on a lower surface of the seat part that is broughtinto contact with the toilet to detect a user's sitting state; a motorprovided in the seat part, and configured to be operated to close thelid from an opened state; and a controller provided in the seat part,and configured such that when the contact sensor detects that the user'ssitting state is released, the controller operates the motor to closethe lid from the opened state and operates the solenoid so that water issupplied to the toilet to flush the toilet.

The contact sensor may also serve as one of a plurality of buffer padsthat may be provided by being distributed on the lower surface of theseat part.

The controller may be configured to operate the solenoid and to releaseoperation of the motor simultaneously.

The seat part may be provided with a closing detection sensor therein todetect closing of the lid, and the controller may operate the solenoidwhen the closing detection sensor detects closing of the lid.

As described above, the semi-automatically toilet seat according to thepresent disclosure is configured such that the closing of the lid andthe flushing of the toilet are automatically performed just by themovement that the user rises from the seat part. Accordingly, when theuser wants to use the toilet, the user just simply opens the lid for thefirst time, and then subsequent operations are automatically performed,whereby the user can conveniently use the toilet.

Further, the present disclosure can propose the semi-automatic improvedtoilet seat that is suitable to be used as a substitute for the generaltoilet seat, unlike the conventional bidet device. That is, thesemi-automatic toilet seat of the present disclosure is meaningful as analternative to a toilet seat for a user who does not need the bidetdevice and feels displeasure to the bidet device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent disclosure will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a semi-automatic toilet seat according toan embodiment of the present disclosure, which is mounted to a toilet;

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the semi-automatic toilet seat in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a contact sensor that is a componentof the semi-automatic toilet seat in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation process of the semi-automatictoilet seat in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A semi-automatic toilet seat 100 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure includes a seat part 110 placed on a toilet 1 and alid 120 coupled onto the seat part 110 to be rotatable, as shown in FIG.1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat part 110 is provided with aplurality of buffer pads 130, which are provided by being distributed ona lower surface of the seat part 110 that is brought into contact withthe toilet 1. One of the buffer pads 130 also serves as a contact sensor131. That is, the contact sensor 131 functions as the buffer pad, and asshown in FIG. 3, the contact sensor 131 is configured such that, as aspring 134 is provided between an upper cover 132 and a lower cover 133and the spring 134 is compressed under vertical compression, a pin 135on the lower cover 133 comes into be in contact with a switch 136provided in the upper cover 132 and presses the upper cover 132, therebyswitching on.

It is preferable that a proper capacity of the spring 134 required foroperating the switch 136, that is, a proper force is from 3 kgf to 5kgf. A relatively weak spring may allow the switch 136 to be operatedonly by minor movement or the seat part 110's weight, and a relativelystrong spring may allow the switch 136 not to detect a sitting state ofthe user when lightweight user sits on the seat part 110.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a motor 140 is provided inside one side of arear portion of the seat part 110. The motor 140 is connected to a hingeshaft 121 of the lid 120 by the media of a gear train 141 connected to amotor shaft, so that an lid 120 is closed from an opened state when themotor 140 is operated. Since the motor 140 is operated usually to allowthe lid 120 to be close from a perpendicularly opened state, a motorhaving relatively small capacity and power may be used as the motor 140.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a printed circuit board (PCB, 150)functioning as a controller is provided inside the seat part 110. ThePCB 150 is electrically connected with the contact sensor 131, and isconfigured to detect the sitting state and a released sitting state ofthe user through the contact sensor 131. Further, the PCB 150 iselectrically connected with the motor 140, and is configured to operatethe motor 140 so that the lid 120 is closed from the opened state.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, a solenoid 160 is provided in a watertank 2 that is mounted to the rear of the semi-automatic toilet seat 100on the toilet 1, and is electrically connected to the PCB 150 in theseat part 110. The solenoid 160 is connected with a water stopper 3 bythe media of a chain. Accordingly, when the PCB 150 operates thesolenoid 160 to lift the water stopper 3, water in the water tank 2 issupplied to the toilet 1 through a drain 2 a to flush the toilet 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a limit sensor 170 is provided inside theseat part 110 as a closing detection sensor by being adjacent to thehinge shaft 121 of the lid 120. In response, a limit bar 122 is providedat the hinge shaft 121, and is configured to act on the limit sensor 170when closing of the lid 120 is completed, so that the PCB 150 may detectthe completion of the closing of the lid 120.

Hereinafter, an operation process of the semi-automatic toilet seat 100having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.4. First, when the lid 120 in a closed state is opened by the user, thelimit sensor 170 is turned to an OFF state due to rotation andseparation of the limit bar 122 (S1).

Then, when the user sits on the seat 100, the contact sensor 131 that isprovided on the lower surface of the seat part 110 is turned to an ONstate (S2), and then the contact sensor 131 is turned to the OFF stateagain as the user completes the use of the toilet and rises from theseat 100 (S3). The PCB 150 drives the motor 140 to close the lid 120when the OFF state of the contact sensor 131 is detected (S4).

When closing of the lid 120 is completed, the limit sensor 170 isoperated by approach or contact of the hinge shaft 121 (S5), and thenthe PCB 150 stops driving of the motor 140 and operates the solenoid 160simultaneously to flush the toilet (S6).

Finally, the PCB 150 releases the operation of the solenoid 160 tocomplete all operations of the semi-automatic toilet seat 100.

Meanwhile, the above-described semi-automatic toilet seat 100 has beendescribed for illustrative purposes, but the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure are not limited to the above description.

In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is defined only by theaccompanying claims and their equivalents if appropriate.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semi-automatic toilet seat comprising: a seatpart placed on a toilet; a lid rotatably coupled onto the seat part; anda solenoid that is configured to open and cut-off water supply to thetoilet, wherein the seat part comprises: a contact sensor that isprovided on a lower surface of the seat part that is brought intocontact with the toilet to detect a user's sitting state; a motorprovided in the seat part, and configured to be operated to close thelid from an opened state; and a controller provided in the seat part,and configured such that when the contact sensor detects that the user'ssitting state is released, the controller operates the motor to closethe lid from the opened state and operates the solenoid so that water issupplied to the toilet to flush the toilet.
 2. The semi-automatic toiletseat of claim 1, wherein the contact sensor also serves as one of aplurality of buffer pads that are provided by being distributed on thelower surface of the seat part.
 3. The semi-automatic toilet seat ofclaim 1, wherein the controller is configured to operate the solenoidand to release operation of the motor simultaneously.
 4. Thesemi-automatic toilet seat of claim 1, wherein the seat part is providedwith a closing detection sensor therein to detect closing of the lid,and the controller operates the solenoid when the closing detectionsensor detects the closing of the lid.